Housekeeping

Sharing communal washers and driers involves patience and flexibility, but also acknowledgement of the tacit rules: do not remove other's clothes prematurely form either the washer or dryer; give others a fair chance to do so themselves.
When this system suffers a breakdown, a battle will ensue.

The scenario:
Wednesday morning (8 am):
Evil Twin #1 attempts to start laundry, but waits as all 4 washers are in use.

Wednesday evening (8:30 pm):
I go to put two loads of laundry in the washers, only to find they have laundry in them (the corresponding dryers are free). I decide to return in 15 minutes.

8:45 pm: I return to find Pathetic Redhead has moved the laundry out of one of the machines, and put hers in. I notice that she is sitting with baskets of laundry around her, and armed for a stakeout, with a Harry Potter book in hand. I ask her if the laundry in the other machine is hers ("no" she answers). I go to move it into a drier, and have a sneaky suspician that this laundry belongs to Evil Twin #1. I put it in the large drier, thinking that I'll dry it for her, along with my laundry, when it finishes in a half hour.

9:10 pm: Evil Twin #1 comes home, and declares that Pathetic Redhead (still camped out in the basement) has carelessly removed all Evil Twin's laundry to put her own in the large drier. I declare this unacceptable, as I had planned to dry my own laundry, as well as Evil Twin's, in the large drier. I fear the removal of my own laundry, so hoof it to the basement pronto.

9:15 pm: My wash is finishing up, and I notice that Pathetic Redhead has 12 minutes left on the drier. I decide it's time for a standoff. If she can remove laundry so cavalierly, and is willing to spend her evening in the basement, then I'm sure she'll have no problem removing her laundry from the drier to make room for mine. I wait.

9:27 pm: (I've taken my wet clothes out of the drier and put my second load in my just used washer.) Before all Pathetic Redhead's clothes have had a chance to settle, I ask, "You don't mind if I move your clothes out for mine, do you?" She's taken aback, but responds, "No...they're dry?" "Yes." I proceed to pull her clothes out of the drier as she walks toward me. I pass them to her then put mine in.

9:35 pm: I return to the apartment, where B tells me I should add enough quarters to the drier to assure that Pathetic Redhead won't be able to use it. Evil Twin tells me she will return with me, and we bring our drinks with the idea of scandalizing her out of the laundry room with disturbing conversation (or at least boring her).

9:45-10:30 pm: With some quick thinking and careful sleight of hand, Evil Twin #1 and I dominate the laundry room and win the battle...and return home with clean laundry. Pathetic Redhead couldn't stand the heat, and left humbled and several quarters less rich than when she arrived.